Fig, Gorgonzola & Pecan Bundles with Warm Honey & Rosemary is an elegant appetizer. It is incredibly tasty and not hard to make at all. Start by pre-heating your oven to 400 degrees F and lining a baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper for each cleanup.
First, chop up your pecans. Then work on your figs. I rinse and dry the figs. You’ll want to remove and discard the tough ends where the stem was on all the figs and discard. Then, you’ll want to dice the figs into small pieces.
Next, you’ll want to cut your blue cheese into small dice. You can use any blue cheese you like (you might even want to try other cheeses like brie or camembert). I’ve used Gorgonzola in this since I love the taste and it goes so well with figs and pecans. Cambozola would be a great substitution. Now that you have all your components ready, you can work with the pastry.
You can buy pre-made puff pastry at every grocery store in the freezer section. Typically, a box has two sheets of dough. You’ll only be using one for this recipe so keep the other completely covered and frozen until ready to use.
I let the pastry defrost in the refrigerator overnight so it is ready to use the next day. If only defrosting one sheet, wrap it in foil or plastic wrap while thawing. Otherwise, you can thaw the dough right on your kitchen counter for 10 – 15 minutes before using. On a lightly floured surface or cutting board, roll out the dough using a rolling pin that has been lightly floured. This will prevent sticking. You want to roll the dough into and even square. Cut the dough into four equal squares.
You are now ready to assemble the bundles. On each pastry square, add a quarter of the chopped figs, top each withe one or two pieces of the cheese and sprinkle with some chopped pecans.
In a small dish, beat the egg. With a pastry brush, brush the egg wash around the entire perimeter of each pastry square. This will work as glue to hold the pastry together.
Working with one square at a time, pull up all the sides of the pastry and twist and squeeze into a little “purse”. Don’t be too concerned on how they look in their “naked state”. They will turn golden brown and puff up when baked and that get rid of any of the imperfections your eye might see during the stage. Brush the outsides of the bundles with more egg wash (this helps them get golden brown when baked) and sprinkle with a little salt.
Put the bundles on the prepared baking sheet and put into the oven for about 25 minutes until brown and completely cooked through. Don’t worry if juices escape during the bake, that is absolutely normal and they will taste great.
You can prepare the bundles and put them on the baking sheet and hold them in the refrigerator for several hours. Then, just bake them off when your guests arrive. The glaze can be mixed ahead and then just put in the microwave right before serving for a great “almost make ahead” appetizer.
While the bundles are baking, create the glaze. In a small bowl, mix the honey, rosemary and chili flakes. Right before ready to serve, put the bowl in the microwave for 20 seconds until warm. Stir again. Plate the pastry and drizzle with the honey mixture. Finish with a light sprinkling of flaky salt (Maldon is a favorite.) You are ready for one delicious bite.
Do you like puff pastry? Be sure to see my 8 Recipes Using Store Bought Puff Pastry post. I’ve got some great recipes for you. Looking for other cheese appetizers? Try these:
Herbs and lavender Fontina Dip
Baked Brie with Walnuts, Brown Sugar, Honey & Momofuku
Goat Cheese, Pistachios & Hot Raspberry Preserves
Fried Brie Bites with Tart Cherry Jam
Fig, Gorgonzola & Pecan Bundles With Warm Honey & Rosemary
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 Puff pastry sheet (out of a box of two)
- 6 Fresh figs
- 2 Oz. Gorgonzola blue cheese, cut into four cubes
- 2 Tsp. Chopped pecans
- 1 Egg, beaten
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Flour to dust your board or cutting surface
- 2 Tbsp. Honey
- 1 Tsp. Chopped fresh rosemary
- Pinch of Calabrian chili flakes
- Pinch Maldon sea salt
Instructions
- Thaw the pastry sheet on the kitchen counter for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and prepare your baking sheet. I cover mine with tinfoil for easy cleanup.
- Wash and dry your figs. Cut of the stem end. Cut the figs into a small dice. You can buy your pecans already chopped, but if you haven’t chop them finely.
- Unfold your pastry on a lightly floured surface and using a rolling pin, flatten out the dough and form it into a square by rolling the dough in that direction. Cut into four equal pieces.
- Distribute the chopped figs among all four pieces of dough. Mound that in the middle then top with a piece of the cheese and evenly distribute the pecans among all four squares.
- Beat the egg in a small bowl. Brush the exterior of each pastry square with the egg wash. Bring the opposite corners of the dough together, pinching and sealing it into a cute little bundle. Do this to all four squares.
- Now, brush the bundles with the egg. Sprinkle with a little salt.
- Bake the bundles for 25 – 30 minutes until golden brown and the dough is cooking through. (Some of the juice from the fruit make leak out during the bake. That is fine and will still be delicious.)
- While the bundles make, mix your honey, chili flakes and rosemary in a small dish. Right before serving, heat the honey for 20 seconds in the microwave.
- Plate the pastry, drizzle with the honey and sprinkle with the flaky Maldon sea salt to finish.
